Outer garment carrier

ABSTRACT

An outer garment carrier including an attachment mechanism and a shoulder harness adapted to mount at least a portion of the attachment mechanism at or above the superior angles of the wearer&#39;s scapulae.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/788,686, filed Jan. 4, 2019, which is incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The present inventions relate generally to outer garments such as coatsand jackets and, in particular, to apparatus and methods for carryingouter garments when they are not in use.

2. Description of the Related Art

Outer garments such as coats and jackets are frequently worn in times ofcold and wet weather. One issue associated with outer garments isrelated to the fact that there is not always a convenient place to storean outer garment when the weather improves or when the wearer goesinside. As a result, the wearer may have to either wear the outergarment, store the outer garment in an inconvenient location (e.g., acoat check), or carry the outer garment. Carrying the outer garment canbe both inconvenient and tiresome due to the size and weight of theouter garment and the fact that at least one of the wearer's arms willbe occupied by the outer garment.

Some proposed solutions involve the addition of straps and/or otherinstrumentalities to the outer garment itself in order to make the outergarment easier to carry. Other proposed solutions involve the use ofouter garment carriers that can be worn and used to carry the outergarment when it is not worn. The present inventors have determined thatthe proposed solutions are susceptible to improvement. For example, thepresent inventors have determined that it would be desirable to avoidalterations to the outer garment itself, especially given the fact thanmany people own many outer garments. The present inventors have alsodetermined that conventional wearable outer garment carriers tend to berelatively large and heavy, difficult to assemble and disassemble,difficult to put on and take off, and uncomfortable to wear. Forexample, some conventional carriers have a harness with straps thatdefine arm holes. These carriers position the arm holes around the armswith the lower straps attached to the remainder of the harness at orabove the armpit, which causes pulling at the armpit, or just above thearmpit at the front of the arms, that is uncomfortable for most usersonce the weight of the outer garment is applied.

Accordingly, the present inventors have determined that it would bedesirable to provide an outer garment carrier that, for example, can beused with an outer garment without the addition of straps or othermodifications to the outer garment, that is relatively small and light,that is relatively easy to assembly and disassemble, that is relativelyeasy to put on and take off, and that is comfortable to wear.

SUMMARY

A carrier in accordance with one embodiment of a present inventionincludes an attachment mechanism and a shoulder harness adapted to mountat least a portion of the attachment mechanism at or above the superiorangles of the wearer's scapulae.

A method in accordance with one embodiment of a present inventionincludes the steps of positioning at least a portion of an attachmentmechanism at or above the superior angles of a wearer's scapulae with ashoulder harness, and mounting an outer garment to the shoulder harnesswith the attachment mechanism.

The features of the present inventions will become apparent as theinventions become better understood by reference to the followingdetailed description when considered in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Detailed description of embodiments of the inventions will be made withreference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view of an outer garment carrier in accordance withone embodiment of a present invention being worn.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the outer garment carrier illustrated in FIG. 1being worn.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the outer garment carrier illustrated in FIG.1.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the outer garment carrier illustrated in FIG. 1being worn with an outer garment supported thereon.

FIG. 5 is rear skeletal view showing certain points of referenceassociated with the present inventions.

FIG. 6 is side skeletal view showing certain points of referenceassociated with the present inventions.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a torso showing certain points of referenceassociated with the present inventions.

FIG. 8 is a rear view of a torso showing certain points of referenceassociated with the present inventions.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a torso showing certain points of referenceassociated with conventional outer garment carriers.

FIG. 10 is a rear view of a torso showing certain points of referenceassociated with conventional outer garment carriers.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of an outer garment carrier in accordance withone embodiment of a present invention.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of an outer garment carrier in accordance withone embodiment of a present invention.

FIG. 13 is a rear view of the outer garment carrier illustrated in FIG.12 being worn.

FIG. 14 is a plan view of an outer garment carrier in accordance withone embodiment of a present invention.

FIG. 15 is a front view of the outer garment carrier illustrated in FIG.14 being worn.

FIG. 16 is a rear view of the outer garment carrier illustrated in FIG.14 being worn.

FIG. 17 is a plan view of an outer garment carrier in accordance withone embodiment of a present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the best presently knownmodes of carrying out the inventions. This description is not to betaken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose ofillustrating the general principles of the inventions.

As illustrated for example in FIGS. 1-4, an exemplary outer garmentcarrier 100, which may also be used to carry purses, tote bags, andother personal items, includes an attachment mechanism 102 and ashoulder harness 104. As discussed in greater detail below withreference to FIGS. 5-8, the shoulder harness 104 is adapted to mount atleast a portion of the attachment mechanism 102 (and in some instancesthe entire attachment mechanism) at or above the superior angles of thescapulae. In the illustrated implementation, the attachment mechanism102 is a hook that may be secured to the shoulder harness 104 with afastener 106. The exemplary outer garment OG includes a loop L (as domany other outer garments) that allows the outer garment to be hung onthe hook or other attachment mechanism 102 in the manner illustrated inFIG. 4. Other suitable attachment mechanisms include, but are notlimited to clamps, jaws and the like. It should also be noted that theillustrated hook includes an undercut which reduces the likelihood thatthe garment or other carried item will be inadvertently dislodged. Thefastener 106 is also mounted at or above the superior angles of thescapulae by the shoulder harness 104.

Referring again to FIGS. 1-4, the exemplary shoulder harness 104includes a neck portion 108 that is located behind the wearer's neck Nand extends over the both of the wearer's shoulders S and downward overthe chest C when the outer garment carrier 100 is worn, a back portion110 that is located behind the wearer's back B when the outer garmentcarrier is worn, and under arm portions 112 and 114 that extend fromrespective ends of the neck portion to the back portion when the outergarment carrier is worn. The exemplary shoulder harness 104 may alsoinclude a vertical portion 116 that extends from the longitudinal middleof the neck portion 108 to the longitudinal middle of the back portion110. The neck portion 108, back portion 110, under arm portions 112 and114, and vertical portion 116 define arm holes 118 and 120. In theembodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the neck portion 108, back portion110, under arm portions 112 and 114, and vertical portion 116 are formedfrom separate straps that are connected to one another as shown. Thestrap that forms the back portion 110 is connected to the straps thatform the under arm portions 112 and 114 with slides 122 and 124. Theslides 122 and 124 allow the in-use lengths of the under arm portions112 and 114 (i.e., the lengths that extend from the slides to the neckportion 108) to be increased and decreased, thereby increasing anddecreasing the distance between the ends of the neck portion 108 and theends of the back portion 110 and increasing and decreasing the size ofthe arm holes 118 and 120 to accommodate differently sized wearers.

Referring more specifically to FIGS. 1 and 2, the configuration of thepresent outer garment carrier 100 (as well as other outer garmentcarriers described below) results in the lower ends of the arm holes 118and 120 to be substantively below the armpits A. When the wearertightens the shoulder harness 104, it is done across the back B, not bypulling the under arm portions 112 and 114 against the armpit A. Suchpositioning improves comfort during wear and minimizes the pulling ofthe outer garment weight against the armpit or the area above the armpitat the front of the arms. The hook or other outer garment attachmentmechanism 102 is unobtrusively located substantially behind the neck orjust below the back of the neck. This placement distributes the weightof the hanging coat or other outer garment across the back, chest andshoulders rather than in front, just above the armpits, which is morecomfortable for the user. The outer garment will also be at essentiallythe same height that it would be when worn and, accordingly, will nothang low and interfere with walking or a create a tripping hazard. Thislocation also makes it easier to put on an outer garment that isattached to the present carrier, or to take the garment off, by simplymoving one's arms in and of the outer garment sleeves.

The exemplary shoulder harness 104 may in some instances also include astiffener 126 that is associated with the attachment mechanism 102 andattached to the neck portion 108. In particular, the attachmentmechanism 102 may be secured to the stiffener 126 (and neck portion 108)with the fastener 106. The stiffener 126 distributes the hanging loadassociated the outer garment OG (FIG. 4) across a longer segment of neckportion 108 than would be the case with the fastener 106 alone, and alsofacilitates the use of a relatively soft and pliable neck portion 108.The stiffener 126 may be more rigid than the neck portion 108, yetflexible enough to conform to the wearer's body contours.

With respect to materials, the various straps that make up the exemplaryshoulder harness 104 may be formed from any suitable flexible materialor materials. For example, in the implementation illustrated in FIGS.1-4, the neck portion 108 may be relatively soft and wide, as comparedto the straps that form the back portion 110, under arm portions 112 and114, and vertical portion 116, to aid in the distribution of weight anduser comfort. Suitable materials for strap that forms the neck portion108 include, but are not limited to, soft fabrics, fleeces, foams,padded quilting. The neck portion 108, back portion 110, under armportions 112 and 114, and vertical portion 116 may have the same ordifferent stiffnesses than one another, and may be formed from the sameor different materials than one another. For example, a vertical portion116 that is stiffer than the under arm portions 112 and 114 would helpkeep the points at which the under arm portions meet the back portion110 relatively low on the wearer's back B, thereby improving comfort inthe area of the wearer's armpits. Suitable materials for the neckportion 108, back portion 110, under arm portions 112 and 114, andvertical portion 116 include, but are not limited to, fabrics, organicmaterials (such as cotton), and inorganic (such as nylon, polypropylene,polyethylene, etc.) configured as strips or webbing. Foams and otherpadded materials may also be employed. Suitable materials for thestiffener 126 include, but are not limited to, fabrics that are stifferthan the neck portion 108, interfacing, fabric coated wires andsemirigid plastics.

Suitable instrumentalities for connecting the strap that forms the neckportion 108 to the straps that form the under arm portions 112 and 114,and for connecting the strap that forms the vertical portion 116 to thestraps that forms the neck portion 108 and the back portion 110, includebut are not limited to instrumentalities that are commonly used in thetextile industry such as, for example, sewing and riveting as well asheat staking/welding and ultrasonic staking/welding in the case ofsynthetic materials.

The components of the present outer garment carriers may be provided inany suitable sizes that result in the functionality described herein. Byway of example, but not limitation, the components of the exemplaryouter garment carrier 100 may have the following dimensions. The neckportion 108 is about 35 inches in length, the back portion 110 is about14 inches in length, the under arm portions 112 and 114 are each about14 inches in length, the vertical portion 116 is about 15 inches inlength, and the stiffener 126 is about 5 inches in length. As usedherein, the term “about” means ±10%.

Advantages of the present outer garment carrier are also described withreference to FIGS. 5-8. Referring first to FIGS. 5 and 6, and as alludedto above, the present inventors have determined that the optimallocation OL behind the wearer's neck N for the hook or other outergarment attachment mechanism 102 (FIGS. 2 and 3) is the locationidentified by the solid line. As used herein, “behind the neck” meansthe location identified by the solid line, from the center of the spineplus 15 degrees around the neck in either direction from center ofspine. The acceptable location region AL extends from at or above thesuperior angles SA of the scapulae SC to about an inch above the optimallocation OL, as identified by the dashed lines. The acceptable locationregion AL above the superior angles SA of the scapulae SC slants inwarduntil it joins the neck N. As such, positioning the hook or other outergarment attachment mechanism 102 in this area results in the wearer'sback carrying some of the load. The closer the outer garment attachmentmechanism is to the neck, the greater the load carrying contribution ofthe back. Also, when placed above the superior angles SA of the scapulaeSC, the hook or other outer garment attachment mechanism 102 will beless likely to move downwardly due to the angle of the back. In thoseinstances where movement of the wearer causes the shoulder harness toslip a small amount, thereby lowering the hook or other outer garmentattachment mechanism 102 below the acceptable location region AL, thewearer can easily pull the parts of neck portion 108 that are on thechest downward to move the load higher.

Turning to FIGS. 7 and 8, where an asterisk (“*”) represents the hook orother outer garment attachment mechanism 102 of the present outergarment carrier 100, it can be seen that the load LD carried by theattachment mechanism 102 is principally felt near the neck N in thecircled areas LF. Parts of the harness neck portion 108 extend downwardfrom circled areas LF to areas below the arms, resulting in the harnessneck portion 108 extending across the wearer's chest C and therebyenabling the chest to carry some of the load LD. By way of comparison,as can be seen in FIGS. 9 and 10, conventional outer garment carriersposition the hook (shown with an asterisk) between the scapulae at apoint far lower than the present outer garment carrier. The load LDcarried by the hook is also is principally felt further out on theshoulders S such as at the circled areas LF due to the design of theconventional shoulder harnesses and the location of the load LD. Theharness shoulder portions SP extend downward from circled areas LF toareas below the arms, resulting in the harness shoulder portions SPextending straight downwardly, instead of across the wearer's chest C,which places the principal load LD on the front of the wearer's arms.

It should also be noted that the outer garment carriers described hereinare self-contained designs in which everything necessary to carry a coator other outer garment is provided. The present outer garment carriersare also small and light enough to carry in a coat pocket so that theymay be used as needed, and can be produced inexpensively so that theymay be purchased as needed in a manner similar to small umbrellas.

Another exemplary outer garment carrier is generally represented byreference numeral 100 a FIG. 11. The outer garment carrier 100 a issubstantially similar to outer garment carrier 100 and similar elementsare represented by similar reference numerals. For example, the garmentcarrier 100 a is worn in the same manner as the garment carrier 100, thevertical portion 116 extends from the longitudinal middle of the neckportion 108 a to the longitudinal middle of the back portion 110, andthe attachment mechanism 102 is secured to the shoulder harness 104 awith a fastener 106. Here, however, the shoulder harness 104 a includesa neck portion 108 a and under arm portions 112 a and 114 a togetherdefine an integral, one-piece structure. The neck portion 108 a andunder arm portions 112 a and 114 a may be formed from a single strap.The stiffener 126 a may be shorter than the stiffener 126, longer thanthe stiffener 126, or the same length as the stiffener 126. It shouldalso be noted here that the outer garment carrier 100 a may be providedwithout the vertical strap 116.

By way of example, but not limitation, the components of the exemplaryouter garment carrier 100 a may have the following dimensions. Thecombined neck portion 108 a and under arm portions 112 a and 114 a isabout 63 inches in length, the back portion 110 is about 14 inches inlength, the vertical portion 116 is about 15 inches in length, and thestiffener 126 a is about 5 inches in length.

Turning to FIG. 12, another exemplary outer garment carrier is generallyrepresented by reference numeral 100 b. The outer garment carrier 100 bis substantially similar to outer garment carrier 100 and similarelements are represented by similar reference numerals. For example, thecarrier 100 b is worn in the same manner as the carrier 100 and theshoulder harness 104 b includes a back portion 110 and under armportions 112 and 114. Here, however, the neck portion 108 b is generallyU-shaped (or “yoke-shaped”) and the length of the vertical portion 116b, which defines the distance between the neck portion 108 b and theback portion 110, is adjustable. The U-shaped neck portion 108 b, whichmay be formed from fabric, foam or any other suitable flexible material,extends behind the neck and over the shoulders. Such a configuration mayplace the attachment mechanism 102 slightly lower than the locationassociated with the shoulder harness 104 illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, i.e.,below the back of the neck rather than behind the neck, yet still at orabove the superior angles of the scapulae. This may aid in comfort asthe weight of the outer garment pulls directly downward on theattachment mechanism 102 rather than out and down. The vertical portion116 b includes straps 116 b 1 and 116 b 2 and a slide 128 that allowsthe in-use length of the strap 116 b 1 (as well as the length of thevertical portion 116 b) to be adjusted. It should also be noted herethat shoulder harness vertical portions with adjustable lengths may beemployed in any of the outer garment carriers described herein. Thestiffener 126 b may have a V-shape, which corresponds to the shape ofthe associated portion of the neck portion 108 b, or any other suitableshape. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 13, the essentially identicalouter garment carrier 100 b′ includes a shoulder harness 104 b′ with astiffener 126 b′ that has a horizontal portion and a pair of angledportions. By way of example, but not limitation, the components of theexemplary outer garment carrier 100 b may have the following dimensions.The U-shaped neck portion 108 b is about 8.5 inches in width (measuredin the horizontal direction in FIG. 12) and 20 inches in height(measured in the vertical direction in FIG. 12), the back portion 110 isabout 14 inches in length, the under arm portions 112 and 114 are eachabout 14 inches in length, the length of the adjustable vertical portion116 b may range from about 12 inches to about 18 and is set at about 15inches in FIG. 12, and the stiffener 126 b is about 5 inches in length.

Shoulder harnesses may omit the vertical portion in someimplementations. To that end, and referring to FIGS. 14-16, theexemplary outer garment carrier 100 c is substantially similar to outergarment carrier 100 a and similar elements are represented by similarreference numerals. For example, the outer garment carrier 100 cincludes an attachment mechanism 102 that is secured to a shoulderharness 104 c with a fastener 106. A stiffener 126 c may also beprovided. The shoulder harness 104 c includes a neck portion 108 c, afront portion 110 c, and under arm portions 112 c and 114 c. The neckportion 108 c and under arm portions 112 c and 114 c together define anintegral, one-piece structure. For example, the neck portion 108 c andunder arm portions 112 c and 114 c may be formed from a single strap.The front portion 110 c includes a pair of sub-portions 110 c 1 and 110c 2 that are connected to the under arm portions 112 c and 114 c byslides 122 and 124, and that are connected to one another by a buckle130. The under arm portions 112 c and 114 c are also relatively long. Asa result, when the outer garment carrier 100 c is worn, the under armportions 112 c and 114 c may be crossed behind the wearer's back B andconnected to one another in the front F with the buckle 130 or othersuitable instrumentality. The under arm portions 112 c and 114 c shouldbe long enough to keep buckle point relatively low and the under armportions away from the wearer's armpits.

By way of example, but not limitation, the components of the exemplaryouter garment carrier 100 c may have the following dimensions. Thecombined neck portion 108 c and under arm portions 112 c and 114 c isabout 120 inches in length, the back portion 110 is about 14 inches inlength, and the stiffener 126 c is about 5 inches in length.

It should be noted here that the present inventions include any and allcombinations of the elements from the various embodiments describedherein. By way of example, but not limitation, the exemplary outergarment carrier 100 d illustrated in FIG. 17 includes an attachmentmechanism 102 and a shoulder harness 104 d. The exemplary shoulderharness 104 d has a neck portion 108, a front portion 110 c (withsub-portions 110 c 1 and 110 c 2) and under arm portions 112 c and 114 cthat are connected to the neck portion 108. The under arm portions 112 cand 114 c are also connected to the front sub-portions 110 c 1 and 110 c2 with slides 122 and 124, while the front sub-portions 110 c 1 and 110c 2 are connected to one another with a buckle 130. A stiffener 126 cmay also be provided.

By way of example, but not limitation, the components of the exemplaryouter garment carrier 100 c may have the following dimensions. The neckportion 108 is about 35 inches in length, the back portion 110 c isabout 14 inches in length, and the under arm portions 112 c and 114 care each about 42.5 inches in length. Although the present inventionshave been described in terms of the preferred embodiments above,numerous modifications and/or additions to the above-described preferredembodiments would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art. It isintended that the scope of the present inventions extend to all suchmodifications and/or additions.

We claim:
 1. A carrier for use by a wearer having a neck and shoulderswith respective scapulae defining superior angles, the outer garmentcarrier comprising: an attachment mechanism; and a shoulder harnessadapted to mount at least a portion of the attachment mechanism at orabove the superior angles of the scapulae.
 2. A carrier as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the shoulder harness is adapted to mount the entireattachment mechanism at or above the superior angles of the scapulae. 3.A carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the attachment mechanism isconnected to the shoulder harness with a fastener; and the shoulderharness is adapted to mount the fastener at or above the superior anglesof the scapulae.
 4. A carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein theshoulder harness includes a neck portion that is located behind thewearer's neck and extends over the wearer's shoulders when the carrieris worn, a back portion that is located behind the wearer's back whenthe carrier is worn, and under arm portions that extend from the neckportion to the back portion when the carrier is worn.
 5. A carrier asclaimed in claim 4, wherein the shoulder harness further includes avertical portion that extends from the neck portion to the back portion.6. A carrier as claimed in claim 5, wherein the vertical portion isstiffer than the under arm portions.
 7. A carrier as claimed in claim 5,wherein the vertical portion has a variable in-use length.
 8. A carrieras claimed in claim 4, further comprising: a stiffener on the neckportion.
 9. A carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the attachmentmechanism comprises a hook.
 10. A carrier as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe neck portion is wider than the back portion and the under armportions.
 11. A carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the under armportions are have variable in-use lengths.
 12. A carrier as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the neck portion and under arm portions together definean integral, one-piece structure.
 13. A carrier as claimed in claim 1,wherein the neck portion is yoke-shaped.
 14. A carrier as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the under arm portions are configured is such a mannerthat they may be crossed behind the wearer's back and connected to oneanother in the wearer's front.
 15. A carrier for use by a wearer havinga neck and shoulders with respective scapulae defining superior angles,the outer garment carrier comprising: a hook; and means for mounting atleast a portion of the hook at or above the superior angles of thescapulae.
 16. A method, comprising the steps of: positioning at least aportion of an attachment mechanism at or above the superior angles of awearer's scapulae with a shoulder harness; and mounting an outer garmentto the shoulder harness with the attachment mechanism.
 17. A method asclaimed in claim 16, wherein the attachment mechanism comprises a hook.18. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the shoulder harnessincludes a neck portion that is located behind the wearer's neck andextends over the wearer's shoulders when the carrier is worn, a backportion that is located behind the wearer's back when the carrier isworn, and under arm portions that extend from the neck portion to theback portion when the carrier is worn.
 19. A method as claimed in claim16, wherein the neck portion is wider than the back portion and theunder arm portions.